


a rather unfortunate phrase

by neogotmyheart



Series: soulmate miniseries [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, Fluff, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-04
Updated: 2019-08-04
Packaged: 2020-07-31 03:57:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20108788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neogotmyheart/pseuds/neogotmyheart
Summary: since the day you were born, the first words your soulmate would say to you had been inked onto your skin. lucky for you, your wrist bore the words “I’m such a dumbass” and would for all eternity.





	a rather unfortunate phrase

The sun illuminated your path as you made your way to a little cafe on the corner of Seventh street. Your friend had been waiting for you for who knows how long seeing as his class had gotten out an hour before yours. Schoolbag slung across your shoulder and books in your arm, you set a brisk pace to not make Yukhei wait any longer. **  
**

Grabbing your phone to send a quick text, you got a quick flash of the small blank print on your wrist. Everyone had a soulmate, and you were blessed enough to have a soulmate tell that was kind of obvious. The simple words on the inside of your wrist would turn white when your soulmate first spoke to you. Your parents were less than pleased when you were born and had _I’m such a dumbass_ printed distinctly on your small arm for all to see. It wasn’t exactly the best first impression that your soulmate could make. Distaste for your mark only grew when you learned how to read and your parents had to explain what the words on your wrist meant. Teachers made you cover the words up as to not expose the other children to such filthy language. Really the whole thing was an inconvenience and quite frankly, an overreaction. You swore like a sailor and had since you learned all the potty words in the book. It was an ugly habit, but you also didn’t believe in giving words such a strong power in social settings that you have to censor your speech in order to be deemed polite. The words on your wrist just provided aid to your progressive statement.

Busting into the entrance of the small shop, your best friend looked up at you, eyebrows raised and smirk dancing on his lips. He was golden with the kiss of sun, still bronze from the summer that just recently ended. His honey-brown hair flopped into his eyes so often, you consistently joked about cutting it yourself. Joy always lit up his dark eyes, giving you a glimpse of what it must be like to be the epitome of happiness. 

He wasn’t exactly the most studious, but he liked to pretend. Books and spirals were laid out across the surface of the table as his laptop sat opened in front of him. The page he was on in his notes was blank, meaning he was working so hard he had already filled pages or, more likely, he hadn’t even started at all. You rushed to sit next to him, dropping your textbooks on the table with a thud as you tried to get your life in somewhat of an order.

“You know, ___, I’ve been waiting for what feels like hours.”

“No one told you to come here directly after class. Besides, you could have been using the lack of company as an opportunity to get something done,” you wagged your finger at him as you backed away to go order your coffee.

“That would just be too easy,” he smiled, perfect teeth shining. “Get me a cookie!”

You ordered a small black coffee, free of a cookie on the side, and made your way back to the table. By the looks of the small plates stacked on the table, Yukhei had already made his way through his fair share of desserts during his time here. You weren’t going to encourage his habit of binging on sweets.

Dragging your computer out of your bag, you made a show of sighing dramatically. The semester had just started and you already felt like you were drowning in homework. You were under the impression that this was going to be an easy semester just to start all your classes and learn that they’re all writing-intensive. You had three essays due next week and couldn’t find the energy to start even one of them. Barely speaking to the boy across from you, you opened your assigned reading, skimming the pages.

Yukhei cleared his throat and you looked up at him from over the pages of the lengthy novel, waiting for him to speak.

“I don’t want to get emotional when you’re obviously trying very hard to read the Iliad, but…” He trailed off, unsure if he should continue his statement.

“Trust me, I will take any reason to not read this.” You shut the book and turned your attention to your friend. “What’s up?”

“I just… What’s it like having a soulmate mark?”

It wasn’t something that the two of you talked about often, but you did know that it was an insecurity of his to not know what his mark or tell was. Yukhei was a hopeless romantic and wanted just the tiniest hint of what was in store for him. You, on the other hand, knew that your soulmate was out there and couldn’t be bothered with the who, what, when, where, or how. The time for your meeting would come whenever Fate decided it was time. It was out of your control so it really wasn’t worth the headache of worrying.

“Annoying,” you answered honestly. You had one of the more common soulmate marks, but most people had stuff like _Hi_ or _I’m sorry didn’t see you there_ or heaven forbid it to be as simple as an introduction with their name. At least yours was unique. It would be impossible not to know who your soulmate was when you heard the statement stamped into your skin.

“No, seriously. There’s no way you won’t know when you meet your soulmate. How am I supposed to know who it is when I meet them?”

“I have a feeling Fate has her own very special way of dealing with you, Yuks. Don’t get discouraged.” You downed the last few sips of your coffee in one go, trying not to wince at the bitter taste.

Yukhei was a rare breed. He was possibly one of the sweetest people you had ever met with a big dose of chaos. He always meant well, but things usually didn’t turn out as planned. He was a smooth talker and a natural at making friends with literally anyone. He was the life of the party while simultaneously being the biggest dork on campus. You knew that Yukhei probably had an unconventional mark or tell because if there was something crazy, it would be for him and his poor fated lover.

“I just wish mine was obvious like yours.” He rested his head on his hand, flipping the page of his textbook needlessly.

“Okay, I take it back, I’d rather read the Iliad,” you teased. You knew the quickest way to get him out of his funk was to remind him that he was going to be fine and he would, in fact, meet his soulmate one day.

His lips formed into a small pout as he tried to win over your sympathy. “So harsh.”

“Look, all I’m going to say is that you have a soulmate. We all have one. I don’t know when you’ll meet them because I’m not the goddess of love or anything, but they’re out there. I pray for them every night because they’re bound to your ass for eternity.”

“You have such a way with words.”

“Thanks. I learned how to talk when I was young and I guess it just stuck.”

Yukhei rolled his eyes. “And you’re worried about my soulmate…”

“Mines clearly a dumbass,” you said as you held up your wrist. “He really felt like letting me know right away.”

“Fate really does do such a good job matching people. At least I know you two will have one thing in common.” He laughed at his comment, shaking his head before turning his attention back to his homework, signaling the end of the conversation.

You liked to tease him, but you knew that if you were in his position, you would probably share at least an ounce of his fear. You had a definite sign that your soulmate was out there waiting for you. Being born with no physical sign and never developing one either had to be somewhat alarming. You rubbed the dark words on your wrist, allowing yourself to have just a little bit of excitement for meeting your soulmate.

The next hour passed by with Yukhei falling asleep at the table and you completing a whopping three pages of your epic poem. Basically, nothing got done but you expected that. The time you spent with Yukhei was never intended to be productive, but more of a temporary escape. Unfortunately, you did actually have to start working on things soon meaning you should probably head home to your apartment. Shaking your best friend awake, you let him know you were leaving before he promptly dropped his head back onto the table and resumed his nap.

You smiled at the sight, shaking your head before piling as much as you could into your bag and opting to just carry the rest. Music blasted through your headphones as you walked through town and towards your apartment. Your phone rang, pausing your music as you tried to fish your phone out of your backpack while still walking. A shoulder promptly collided with your own causing you to drop all your books onto the middle of the sidewalk. 

“Shit…” You sighed, standing next to the stranger he was now staring at the fallen school supplies, mouth agape.

He was the first one to move, crouching down to pick up the things he caused you to drop. “I’m such a dumbass.”

Your eyes widened as you stared at the boy. “What did you say?”

He stood up, facing you. “I guess I should have said sorry first, huh?”

You shook your head. “No, it’s not that. I just-”

You lifted up your wrist, showing the boy the now white words adorning your wrist. He immediately looked down at his own wrist to find the single word _shit_ had faded from its normal black. If you thought your parents were mad about your phrase, you couldn’t imagine what his thought.

“Damn,” he sighed, handing you your books. “I guess we’re soulmates.”

“I guess so.”

“That’s cool.” He laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.

He had a very cute, boyish charm about him. His black hair had very subtle waves and the way his hair framed his face accentuated his cheekbones. His smile was contagious as hell and you couldn’t help but smile at him, even if the small grin stemmed from nerves. You must have made someone happy in a previous life to be paired with someone as cute as him.

He cleared his throat. “Well, I’d love to stay and talk, but I’m actually late for work, so I’ll see you around, yeah?”

You nodded, watching him run off, only turning back momentarily to give you a small wave. Reluctantly turning and walking to your apartment, you tried to process what had just happened. You were trying to get home before a boy knocked a ton of books out of your hand, you found out he was your soulmate, and then he promptly ran away. It was then that you realized you didn’t have his name or any way to contact him. You had a brief image of his face in your mind, but how reliable was it considering you had looked at him for maybe thirty seconds total.

Your soulmate was very correct. He was, in fact, a dumbass.

The apartment was empty when you walked in. All the lights were off, allowing the dusk to fill the room with its scarlet hues. The couch was worn in every sense of the word, but it suited you just fine to curl up on after a long day. Classes were fine. Meeting with Yukhei was fine. Your first encounter with your soulmate was… not. How could you have been so scatterbrained to let him run off without getting his name or any way to contact him? If it weren’t for Fate and her refusal to let soulmates part, you would probably never see him again. 

You dropped your head to your hands just as your roommate walked in, throwing her books and camera bag onto the floor before dropping down onto the floor in front of you. You still hadn’t turned on any lights, the now purple light highlighting her features. 

She looked at you concerned with her brows furrowed. “Did you have a bad day?”

You shrugged. “I met my soulmate.”

Her eyes lit up as she shuffled off the floor and towards you, grabbing your wrist and examining the white print. “Would you look at that. What’s he like?”

“A dumbass.” You answered, leaning your head back onto the couch behind you as you replayed your very short interaction in your head.

“Ha ha, very clever.” She teased, nudging you before sitting on the couch next to you. “No but really.”

“We literally bumped into each other, discovered we were soulmates and then he took off running because he was late for work or something.”

“People like you really make Fate’s job harder.” She smiled, shaking her head.

“Why are you including me? He’s the one that literally ran from me.”

“He’s your soulmate. Run after him. You’re not the one late for anything.”

You sighed, grabbing a pillow from beside you before hugging it. Relationships weren’t exactly your area of expertise seeing as you never cared to have one unless it was with your soulmate. “You’ve always been more romantic than me.”

“I feel like for me it’s easier to be that way because my soulmate will literally bring color into my world. They’ll break the monotony that I’ve been living in for my entire life.”

She had the tell of seeing in black and white until her soulmate came around. The matter of when you would see color varied from person to person. Some saw it right away while some didn’t get anything until they kissed their soulmate for the first time. Because of this, your roommate had dated a few people with the same tell as hers in hopes of discovering her soulmate. None had ever lasted though, leaving her more and more disappointed with each failed attempt. The fact that she could still be so hopeful for love and chasing after it should inspire you but instead, it just made you feel oddly defeated. She would never be in a position like this because she wouldn’t let herself be.

“You haven’t even met your soulmate and you already speak higher of them than I speak of mine.”

“Yeah, well, you’re mean.”

You shot up from your slumped position. “I am not!”

She laughed, getting up. “I’m just kidding. You’re very sweet but you’re just a little dumb. You and your soulmate will be a great match.”

You resisted the urge to throw the pillow as you recalled your friend’s statement from earlier. “Yukhei said something similar.”

“That must mean something,” she said over her shoulder as she walked into the kitchen. “I’m making dinner. You want some?”

“Duh,” you call back, following behind her so you could at least act like you were helping.

The rest of the week passed with no sight of your soulmate. It wasn’t like you expected him to be dropped in your lap the very next day, but it would have made your life a lot easier. Most of your classes were spent examining every face in the large lecture hall, looking for the boy that you had a brief encounter with. It would be easier if you knew where he worked, but he couldn’t even give you that information.

Sitting on the bench outside of Yukhei’s class, you flipped through your notes. Being a literature major seemed fun until you received all of your assignments. Suddenly, you didn’t care much for it anymore. The Iliad still sat practically untouched in your backpack, but it now had the Odyssey to keep it company. Maybe this time when you went to the small coffee shop, you could actually manage to get something done. 

The second your best friend walked out of his class, you knew that wasn’t going to happen. His eyes were bright and a smile took up the majority of his face as he strolled towards where you were sitting. “I have something for us to do tonight.”

You looked at him, uncertainty showing through your features as you tried to figure out what ridiculous plan he could have for this Friday night.

“Oh, relax, ___. It’s just a party.”

“I hate parties.”

“You’ve never been to one.”

“I know enough about them to form an educated opinion on the matter,” you sighed, picking up your stuff and walking away from him. “I don’t want to go.”

He jogged behind you, catching up to stand by your side. “Come on. What if my soulmate is there. What if _your_ soulmate is there? A college party is the perfect place for someone’s first words to be declaring the fact that they’re an idiot.”

Yukhei didn’t know that you had already met your soulmate and you didn’t feel like being made fun of by the literal king of clowns. That was an assault that you just didn’t think you could survive. You twisted the bracelet on your wrist to ensure it was covering the mark before you kept walking. 

Knowing the excited boy next to you wouldn’t take no for an answer, you agreed to go while making a real show out of the agreement. Huffing and puffing and waving your hands around while you explained what an awful experience this would be and how you were only doing this for him because you knew how important love was to him.

“You’ve been reading too many old books,” he laughed. “It’s like you took a page right out of Scarlett O’Hara’s book and decided it would be your new personality.”

“You read Gone with the Wind?” You looked at him, surprised. Yukhei read his comics but he never really dipped his toe into classic literature.

“Had to watch it for some film class,” he said dismissively, readjusting his backpack. “Why would I ever just read an eight million page book?”

“Because it’s good.”

“Subjective.” He tossed his arm over your shoulder. “So, we need to get ready soon.”

You rubbed your hands on your face, suppressing your groan. “If you’re making me go, I’m taking my roommate.”

It was a just fine compromise for him because the three of you made your way into the house party later that night. Music filled the small apartment as bass pumped through the floor, radiating through your feet as you walked. The lights were dim with nothing but a color-changing strip of LED lights lining the ceiling. Colors doused the crowd as you tried to find just any area of free space. This was undoubtedly a group of boys’ apartment with the way it was decorated.

“If my soulmate is here, I don’t think I want them,” your roommate joked, yelling over the speakers behind you.

Yukhei rolled his eyes as he pushed towards the kitchen. “Let’s get some drinks.”

You couldn’t help but to immediately start looking for an exit. Your two friends were moving farther into the party, but you already felt like you needed out. Saying you didn’t like crowds was a slight understatement. Besides, you achieved what you were here for. You came, you quickly scanned for your soulmate, and now you were done. As long as your friends were here, you would stay just for the sake of the others’ enjoyment. You could be at the party without being in the middle of it. You watched their figures get swallowed by the crowd as you weaved your way to a door right by the packed living room.

Sliding the glass door to the side, you took a breath of fresh air before closing it behind you. You were pleasantly surprised to find that the small deck was free of partiers. You sat down, letting your legs hang through the metal railing of the deck. Why did you even come to this thing? Yukhei was notorious for his persuasion skills, but you knew right away that this wouldn’t be your scene. Sure, you had other friends in college besides the puppy version of a human and your hopeless romantic of a roommate, but none of them were here. The two you came with were social. They had no problem working their way into a group of people they had never met and befriending all of them. You could be that way if you had enough energy, but right now the idea of socializing sounded like an utter nightmare.

At the sound of the door, you turned and looked behind you. The light summer breeze ruffled through a boy’s hair as he fought the sticky door to close. You weren’t really wanting company, but with a party this size, it was inevitable. Better one person than a whole crowd.

When the glass finally slipped into place, the boy let out a huff before turning around. Your breath caught in your throat at the sight of his face. Even though you had only seen him for a fleeting moment that first day, you knew this was him. His dark hair was still slightly wavy, random strands sticking to his forehead from sweat. The streetlights caught on his cheekbones and jaw, accentuating the strong features.

His eyes widened as he looked at you with realization. “Oh, shit.”

“I think that’s my line,” you smirked, gesturing to the small white words adorning his wrist.

He ran a hand through his hair, leaving a few pieces sticking up awkwardly. “I never got your name. Or number. Or literally any type of information on you at all. I just-”

“Ran?”

“Yeah, that was rude, huh?”

You laughed, shaking your head. “I mean, it could have been a better first encounter, but it looks like we found each other anyway.”

“Thanks, Fate,” he yelled, looking up to the sky. His laughter filled the space outside as he moved to sit down next to you. “Why are you outside?”

“My friends dragged me here.” You admitted, kicking your feet back and forth. He mimicked your actions and it made you realize how small you probably looked. He resembled a child with his back hunched and hair hanging into his face with his long legs moving in an alternation of each other, creating a steady rhythm that you tried to match with your own movements. A small smile found your lips when you realized you were successfully in time with him.

“Is my party that much of a letdown?”

You looked at him, eyebrows raised. “This is your party?”

“It’s my roommate’s, actually, but it’s my apartment and most of the guests are my friends so I’ll claim it.”

“You must be quite the social butterfly,” you teased, elbowing him. He exaggerated the effect, leaning away from you as if he had been hit hard before he sat back up, smiling at you.

“I think I’m just involved in a lot of stuff.” He shrugged. “I’m a music production major, so I meet a lot of different people trying to get people to sing on tracks. I also am on a dance team. I lead worship for a church in town. I’m the representative for my college in student government. Oh, and I joined the chess club recently.”

“You play chess?”

“Oh, no. I’m terrible. Like actually the worst.” He looked up. “I thought it would be a fun thing to know how to do, but I am way out of my league on that one.”

There was a moment of silence as you studied him. You wanted to say something but the nerves made you silent. This was your soulmate. He was the person you were destined to spend the rest of your life loving.

“What about you?” He asked before sticking out his hand to interrupt you. “Wait, I still don’t know your name. I’m Mark.”

“___.” You responded before telling him a little about yourself. 

You were able to find common grounds with art. While he made music, sang, played instruments, and danced, you covered literature and art. Different, yet somehow still the same.

Mark was incredibly endearing. He laughed as much as he talked and tended to stumble over his words at times. You found that all of it just added to his charm. It was no surprise he had so many friends with his bubbly and ridiculously friendly personality. His smile was probably the most welcoming thing about him. You always felt like he was listening any time it was your turn to talk.

“Wait. This is an important question,” He said, lifting his legs up from the side of the deck and crossing them over each other after turning to face you.

“Shoot.”

“Can you cook?”

You thought about it for a second. You weren’t the worst, but you were no chef. The food you made was edible and that’s all you could really ask for. “I can cook some things without a recipe, but I should be fine doing anything else if I had instructions.”

“Can you teach me?”

“Can you not cook?” You asked him, brows furrowed. Surely he knew how to make at least a few things. How else had he survived this long and by living on his own?

“I can’t even fry an egg.”

“Oh, no…” He was in worse shape than you thought.

“Oh, yes.”

The two of you laughed as he told stories about his various attempts to make food. His roommate, Xiaojun, did most of the cooking after Mark failed to make anything edible over and over again. 

You could see the effects of having a soulmate finally start falling into place. You had crushes before and definitely felt drawn to people you knew weren’t made for you, but your connection to them never felt like this. Mark felt like your worn-out couch at the end of a long day. He was kin to your favorite books and warm blankets wrapped around you as you sat next to a crackling fire. He brought forth the feeling of late summer nights driving with no destination while the music blasted in your car. Mark was home. He was the place where your soul finally found rest because it didn’t have to look anymore.

You didn’t believe in love at first sight. Even knowing he was your soulmate wasn’t enough to make you fall in love instantaneously. You didn’t have the romantic drive of your roommate or the blind trust of Yukhei, but you did have daydreams fed by the most romantic novels in history. Loving Mark would take time, but you knew after sitting on this balcony talking about nothing yet everything all at once, falling for him was bound to happen.

“Do you want to leave?” You asked. It was his party and his friends but you couldn’t help but want to be selfish and drag him away to get to know him better.

“Where to?”

“We can go anywhere we want.”

He stood up, leaning down to extend his hand. “I know where we’re going, but you can’t make fun of me.”

“It’s the first time I’ve really met you. I won’t make fun of you, yet,” you reassured him, accepting his hand and allowing him to pull you up. 

You sent a quick text to your friends as soon as you were outside of the building explaining your absence. You knew the next time you saw them, you would be harassed with questions, but for right now, you were getting to hang out with the cute boy that just so happened to be the one that was literally made for you.

Mark did a good job of filling the walk with conversation as you went back and forth on different topics. You only stopped once on your walk to pick up dessert from a street vendor.

With a happy stomach and happier heart, Mark led you up the front steps of a shop with his hand in yours. You noticed the sign on the front of the small storefront, the guitar shape incorporating the name of the business.

Mark fished a set of keys out of his pocket before releasing your hand to unlock the door. He swung it open, leading you inside before locking the door behind him. 

In the darkness, you were able to make out a few shapes of different instruments. There was a wall of guitars in front of you and a row of drum sets to your left. There were also a few keyboards and pianos in the corner of the room. Mark flipped a switch and light filled the room, allowing you to see everything much better. Music had always intrigued you and you often wished that you had picked up an instrument instead of a pen and paper. 

“This was where I was running to when I kinda ditched you.”

“You said you lead worship. I’m assuming you play.”

He smiled, nodding before walking over to the wall of guitars and grabbing a classic acoustic. He held the neck in one hand before grabbing a similar one with his other hand and giving it to you.

“Oh, I don’t play,” you declined politely, sitting down on a stool in front of one of the shelves.

He kept his arm extended. “You’re teaching me how to cook. I can teach you this as a trade.”

“You’re overestimating my cooking skills.”

“Look, if you make it to where I’m able to feed myself with something besides ramen and sandwiches, I’ll be satisfied.”

“Is this why you said not to make fun of you? You’re going to serenade me?” You nudged his shin with your foot, smiling at him.

His fingers lightly strummed the strings, filling the otherwise quiet room with soft music. “It’s cliche, I know… I just… I love this. I love music. I thought maybe showing you this would help you know about me.” He clamped his hand down on the strings, stopping the humming. “Besides, I never said I was serenading you. I’m just teaching you how to play.”

“You said you sing.”

“I rap, too, but that doesn’t mean I’m gonna bust out with _Gangsta’s Paradise_ just for the sake of showing you.”

You laughed as you fixed the guitar to set it on your lap, hand finding the neck of the instrument. It felt so foreign in your hand. You had held a guitar before but had never really attempted to play it. All strumming of the strings was in good fun and none of it ever sounded good. Making a true effort was a new experience and you looked to Mark for guidance.

He walked through the basics like the chords and the different placements of your hands. You did your best to copy his movements exactly. When the sound was off, Mark would lean over, readjusting your hand. The touch was soft, yet searing every time. You bit back your nerves and continued to strum with him. He hummed lightly and you could barely hear it, but it was comforting all the same.

Eventually, he put his guitar down and you followed his lead before he scooted his small metal stool closer to yours. Grabbing your hand, his thumb ran across the back of it. 

“Do you feel weird thinking about forever?”

“I used to,” you admitted.

“What changed?”

You shrugged. “Forever isn’t really forever, is it? We have this lifetime and then we start over with the next. Eternity is broken into small chunks with no end in sight, but we are only fully present in one century at a time.”

He looked at you, eyes filled with wonder. “I should have expected such a well thought out answer from a lit major.”

You laughed. “Why’d you ask anyway?”

“I met you, and I don’t know. Forever seemed to feel so long and just impossible to be with a single person. I didn’t know how I was going to do it when my interests and passions seemed to change daily. I just… This entire night with you has felt like a whole lifetime but also only a single second. I feel like I know you so well already, but every moment since I walked outside onto my deck has been a blur.”

“We’ve met before.”

“I mean, I know we met outside but that hardly counts, ___.”

“No, I mean in the past,” you explained. “This isn’t the first life we’ve met in. I guess everything feels natural because my soul already knows you even if my mind doesn’t yet.”

“You keep one-upping me with all these heartfelt words. How am I supposed to compete?”

“You’re a music comp major. You can write me a song.” You smirked, looking at him.

He leaned in, pressing a quick kiss to your cheek. “Maybe now that I know you, I’ll have something worth writing songs about.”

**Author's Note:**

> this is the first part of a soulmate miniseries i have planned! ill be posting a part every week! i hope you enjoy it
> 
> tumblr: lovingyong


End file.
